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Ars Technica style guide

The definitive style guide to be used by all contributors to Ars Technica.

So you want to write an article

This guide describes the recommended writing style to be used when writing or editing content for ArsTechnica.com. You may find it useful when working on other Ars-related publications or Web sites.

An Ars news post is comprised of the following:

A title

This should be clear and concise, but you can also do a play on words for the humor. The question you need to ask yourself is when your title shows up on Google or in an RSS feed, is it going to tell someone what the story is about? The title (or headline) should be initial-capped, not title case. So "Microsoft patents ones and zeros" would be correct, but "Microsoft Patents Ones and Zeros" would not. Proper nouns should always be capitalized, though.

A leader or “pimp”

This brief (usually two-sentence) summary is shown on the front page preceding a link to the full story. The leader should engage the reader’s attention and make a case as to why the article is important and should be read. An example of this is “XYZ has announced ABC for the ZZZ. What does this mean for ZZZ users?”

The body

Any and all news posts should answer these questions: who, what, when, where, why, how, and why should we care. Sometimes you can't answer all of these, but try

At Ars we like to do more than report on the news—we like to convey its importance, and give "our take." So, if you're reporting on the latest and greatest hardware review, say something about the review (other than pointing out its existence) or its implications, if possible

Don't assume that the readers know everything you do. They usually do not. Read your post and ask if someone with less knowledge than you would know what you were talking about.

Whenever possible, link to your source. If using a press release, put the link at the end of the write-up. Do not use "here links"
How to link:Familiarize yourself with the Ars Technica style guide.How not to link:Familiarize yourself with the Ars Technica style guide, which can be found here.

The discussion thread—after posting news, be sure to start the discussion thread right away. You should also check it periodically to see if anyone has pointed typos or other errors in your post. It is also a good idea to respond to “fair” criticism about your post (as opposed to flames) as it arises.

Facing the jury

Before anything sees the light of the front page, it must first be reviewed for the following:

Spelling and grammar

Accuracy

Content

This should be done by posting a link to a draft in #mods on IRC or instant messaging one of the senior editors (Ken, Eric, and Jon), again with a link. Once the CMS is fully live, we will be able to post drafts there.

Going live

Once the necessary edits and revisions have been incorporated, it’s time to go live.

To post an article using the news CMS:

Log into the news CMS

Enter your headline, leader, and the text of your writeup. Be sure all tags (especially <em>, <strong>, and <a> are properly closed.